I'm new to the ThinkPads forums. I currently have a ThinkPad T420 which I use as my "daily driver", but I'd like to eventually expand my collection to include older IBM ThinkPads?

What is the best way to start a ThinkPad collection on a budget? I've tried going to my local resell shops (like Goodwill) but they have nothing. It seems like Missouri is a black hole for old computers.

These will run you the least amount of cash. Don't bet your heart on a s30 or 750P, they come very little and fetch good prices. I recommend get a pretty universal A31p. It has the most expandability, best screen, most options and supports a wide variety of OS's. Want a pure DOSBOX, a 755C will run you nothing and it works great. I scavenge eBay like a hawk and if you do too, you can pick up machines like my 755CDV for next to nothing.

Little trick for the older machines(1996-pre), look for models with one slider control on the display. If it has 2, run for the hills(except on select 755C models. Any 365C and 755 machine and prior will have an 's' in the name like 755Cs or 365CsD. This has a junk screen that is impossible to use.

These will run you the least amount of cash. Don't bet your heart on a s30 or 750P, they come very little and fetch good prices. I recommend get a pretty universal A31p. It has the most expandability, best screen, most options and supports a wide variety of OS's. Want a pure DOSBOX, a 755C will run you nothing and it works great. I scavenge eBay like a hawk and if you do too, you can pick up machines like my 755CDV for next to nothing.

Little trick for the older machines(1996-pre), look for models with one slider control on the display. If it has 2, run for the hills(except on select 755C models. Any 365C and 755 machine and prior will have an 's' in the name like 755Cs or 365CsD. This has a junk screen that is impossible to use.

Thanks for your quick response! I'm stuck between W2000/98 or XP. I have a HP Pavilion that runs Windows XP which I'd like to replace with an older IBM ThinkPad (pre-Lenovo, thus pre-2005) machine for portability. Plus the HP Pavilion has capacitors that are failing. It will see minimal use (it's only used for Windows XP-specific programs.)

Since I already planned on buying a IBM ThinkPad, I thought why not just knock out two birds with one stone.

Unfortunately, right now I'm short on cash. I am planning to start saving to purchase a computer to replace the XPavilion and start an IBM ThinkPad collection.

Do deals like the aforementioned occur a lot?

Well, if you want the beauty IPS display that ppl love about for those computers in a functional shape, you have to spend $100+ or build yourself. Also, if you want that, stay away from 14.1" as none of those offer IPS.
Also, those aren't very, very common on eBay as the survival rate of IPS displays aren't that good, and I wouldn't call that a budget deal. I've seen listings of those for $50 because they do not know about the IPS display. Same applies for the motherboard, though it is much more rare. It is next to impossible to find a T4xp motherboard or A3xp motherboard.
If you want a cheap and smaller pre-2005 XP machine and do not value IPS all that much, go with the 14.1" models. I have a 14.1" T42 and 14.1" T43 (all with SXGA+ display), and I'd pretty much sell them for no more than $50 each.

Unfortunately, right now I'm short on cash. I am planning to start saving to purchase a computer to replace the XPavilion and start an IBM ThinkPad collection.

Do deals like the aforementioned occur a lot?

Well, if you want the beauty IPS display that ppl love about for those computers in a functional shape, you have to spend $100+ or build yourself. Also, if you want that, stay away from 14.1" as none of those offer IPS.
Also, those aren't very, very common on eBay as the survival rate of IPS displays aren't that good, and I wouldn't call that a budget deal. I've seen listings of those for $50 because they do not know about the IPS display. Same applies for the motherboard, though it is much more rare. It is next to impossible to find a T4xp motherboard or A3xp motherboard.
If you want a cheap and smaller pre-2005 XP machine and do not value IPS all that much, go with the 14.1" models. I have a 14.1" T42 and 14.1" T43 (all with SXGA+ display), and I'd pretty much sell them for no more than $50 each.

That seems ideal. I'm not looking for anything super fancy. I want something that works, runs Windows XP programs fairly well, and possibly some web surfing. Nothing too major, and the web surfing part would be mostly used for sites that don't have too much modern crap.

I may also use the machine for personal website coding (HTML/CSS), which it should have no issues with at all.

I've also thrown the idea around in my brain that I may experiment with dual-booting the machine with some sort of Linux distro. (I currently run Linux Mint on a desktop, which I use as a file server and for TiMidity++.) But I'm not sure how a machine of that age will handle dual-boot. (Any input?)

I've found that most people/collectors have had fairly good luck with the Txx (specifically T4x and T6x) series, but I've heard that the A61p is fairly popular for an entry-level collector machine that can still be used for simple things.

I may also use the machine for personal website coding (HTML/CSS), which it should have no issues with at all.

I've also thrown the idea around in my brain that I may experiment with dual-booting the machine with some sort of Linux distro. (I currently run Linux Mint on a desktop, which I use as a file server and for TiMidity++.) But I'm not sure how a machine of that age will handle dual-boot. (Any input?)

Well, I never tried Linux Windows dual boot before, but I tried quad booting with Windows NT 4.0 SP6a, Windows 2000 Prof, Windows 2003 and Windows 7 and my T42 and T43 have no trouble doing that (provided that you have enough hard drive space).

I've found that most people/collectors have had fairly good luck with the Txx (specifically T4x and T6x) series, but I've heard that the A61p is fairly popular for an entry-level collector machine that can still be used for simple things.

Well, it is A31p that is popular, as it is the last A series machine ever made. I personally liked the A30p better than A31p because of how much cooler PIII-M is compared to P4-M. And no, it is not an entry-level collector machine as it is rare to find these days and I don't see anyone will sell any of these p computers with IPS displays and stuff anytime soon, unless you want to upgrade a non-p one to p one yourself.
As for T4x and T6x, they are very easy to find for cheap, and they are very good, so that is the reason why most folks here have one of those. The p model is hard to find, again. I had to literally personally build my T43p and A30p from parts to get the full p experience.
T4x is better in terms of build quality, while T6x is better in terms of speed and futureproofing, relatively speaking.
I personally still use my T43p for portable use. For what I am doing, I don't need anything more powerful than this, and at the same time this is a good machine to keep your computer unbloated and have more patience at times.

I may also use the machine for personal website coding (HTML/CSS), which it should have no issues with at all.

I've also thrown the idea around in my brain that I may experiment with dual-booting the machine with some sort of Linux distro. (I currently run Linux Mint on a desktop, which I use as a file server and for TiMidity++.) But I'm not sure how a machine of that age will handle dual-boot. (Any input?)

Well, I never tried Linux Windows dual boot before, but I tried quad booting with Windows NT 4.0 SP6a, Windows 2000 Prof, Windows 2003 and Windows 7 and my T42 and T43 have no trouble doing that (provided that you have enough hard drive space).

I've found that most people/collectors have had fairly good luck with the Txx (specifically T4x and T6x) series, but I've heard that the A61p is fairly popular for an entry-level collector machine that can still be used for simple things.

Well, it is A31p that is popular, as it is the last A series machine ever made. I personally liked the A30p better than A31p because of how much cooler PIII-M is compared to P4-M. And no, it is not an entry-level collector machine as it is rare to find these days and I don't see anyone will sell any of these p computers with IPS displays and stuff anytime soon, unless you want to upgrade a non-p one to p one yourself.
As for T4x and T6x, they are very easy to find for cheap, and they are very good, so that is the reason why most folks here have one of those. The p model is hard to find, again. I had to literally personally build my T43p and A30p from parts to get the full p experience.
T4x is better in terms of build quality, while T6x is better in terms of speed and futureproofing, relatively speaking.
I personally still use my T43p for portable use. For what I am doing, I don't need anything more powerful than this, and at the same time this is a good machine to keep your computer unbloated and have more patience at times.

Sorry, I'm not entirely familiar with the IBM ThinkPad numbering schemes. I'm guessing "p" is for the IPS display, which isn't a necessity. A normal display (as long as it's readable most of the time) will suffice. No money to be picky.

I've found many T4x machines on eBay, so I'm guessing that is what I'll probably end up buying. The T42 which Thinkpad4by3 linked would be great fit, if it wasn't expensive and/or at a bad time. I'm wanting something that is cheap but also in fairly decent condition; many of the cheaper ones I've found have many issues.

Sorry, I'm not entirely familiar with the IBM ThinkPad numbering schemes. I'm guessing "p" is for the IPS display, which isn't a necessity. A normal display (as long as it's readable most of the time) will suffice. No money to be picky.

IIRC, the p is for Performance. These models usually have the most powerful GPUs in the lineup. For example, T61 can have Intel GMA X3100 or nVidia Quadro NVS 140M (comparable to 8400M), while the T61p has the nVidia Quadro FX 570M with either 128MB or 256MB dedicated VRAM (comparable to 8600M GT).

I've found many T4x machines on eBay, so I'm guessing that is what I'll probably end up buying. The T42 which Thinkpad4by3 linked would be great fit, if it wasn't expensive and/or at a bad time. I'm wanting something that is cheap but also in fairly decent condition; many of the cheaper ones I've found have many issues.

I have two 14.1" SXGA+ T4x machines that I do not need, as I already have 2 15" T43/p machines.
One of the 14.1" is T42 w/Radeon 7500, and the other one is T43 with Radeon X300.
$50 each (I spent $35 on each SXGA+ LCD)
Or you can see on eBay if you find a better deal or something

I'm starting down this road by accident too, it's an interesting thread!

I think there's 2 ways to go about it.

1 - You want specific models, and the best condition possible. This will be more work to achieve, involve constantly searching/ebay custom alerts and pure luck! I collect Vacuum Cleaners and you always know the popular models as the collectors groups see them, much discussion is had and they sell for silly amounts of money. I imagine thinkpads are the same.

2 (the way I seem to be doing it) - Anything will do! I started with a Thinkpad 240 from a (I'm in the UK) car boot sale for £3 just for a laugh rather than being a thinkpad. This has been fun to play with both windows 98 and Puppy Linux. Don't really have a use for it, although do intend to strip it down and clean it/re thermal paste it.

I then found, by accident a T40 with the GPU issue. I broke it even more by trying to fix it in the oven, but liked it's style, and it's in OK condition, so I spent another £17 on a system board from a T42. Why? No idea, will probably play with a more modern Linux and upgrade the processor and RAM if it works with the new sys board. Laptop with AC adapter cost me £10.

Lastly, I found an X60T in awful shape in a job lot of random 'unknown' laptops for £20 (yet to arrive). Again, no real idea why but if it runs I'll clean it up, upgrade it and maybe try running windows 7 and using it as a daily driver (I have acess to a decent Desktop for more intensive stuff).

So I find myself with a thinkpad collection, and I'm not sure why! If you like taking things apart and fixing/improving them, Thinkpads seem a good gamble because the hardware maintenance manuals are plentiful and easy to follow (I had my T40 apart in 20 minutes following one and got it back together afterwards!) and spares are cheap (System board - £17. I need a keyboard bezel for the T40, that's £3, better processor is £5, Ram isnt too expensive etc. It's a nice, inoffensive hobby to have, and, ultimatly, at the end of the day if you do it right, but decide you dont want to do it anymore you shouldn't loose money as they will always have a value, either as a working laptop or as a Thinkpad to those who know.

Annoyingly, I find myself searching for unloved 'pads even now! I have a load of old HP scrap to get rid of that came from work, decided I fancy thinkpads more!

Have you ever tried any local apps? I haven't used LetGo, but I do use Offer Up and I did find four 560's for sale for $10 a piece. The owner had issues selling the machine, no one wanted to buy them. He saw that they were worth $90, but he didn't have a charger so he couldn't turn them on.
Turns out they didn't have the hard drives, but luckily I had a 380XD HDD I cloned and just happened to be perfect fits for the 560E and 560X.

I also use craigslist to search for laptops, in addition to this, some schools and businesses still have 1997 ThinkPads lying around waiting to be recycled.
Since I worked at an electronic waste collection center, I get to save some of these machine before they get stripped and melted.
A lot of ewaste buyers/sellers/collectors/recyclers get in Thinkpads and other rare computers but don't think much of it. We get paid about $7 for a laptop with a good screen, $0.30 cents a pound if its cracked.
People who use craigslist are sometimes afraid of using eBay to sell a laptop, because they might of in the past, gotten ripped off from a malicious buyer or improperly shipped a product (its sold as is, no returns, so i didn't waste money wrapping it a lot! This isn't my fault, it is the carrier's for banging it everywhere!)
I'm not sure how Missouri is for eWaste, for California we have a government recycling program for ewaste and Screens, both LCD and CRT, Cali is one of the only states that pays out for screens to be recycled properly. \
Another 'advantage' is its illegal to throw away ewaste of any kind. Maybe email or call institutions and businesses if they have old computers they don't want and you collect/recycle them.
Bring a screwdriver set and hammer so you can affirm them that their data will be destroyed.

For my eBay I have a few saved searches on my phone, if I am eager for a 'new' machine, I will turn on phone alerts. To filter out newer lenovo machines, I put - in front of a word to ignore those machines. I also have some of the same ones saved but look for different attributes, like used or 'as is' machines specifically. In addition to this, before I save the search, I will use the sort function as well. For some of my searches, I will have 'lowest price' for bargains, 'buy it now only, newly listed' to see if there are great deals, or 'ending soonest, auctions only' if I want to snipe an eBay auction

I used to save IBM 850, or IBM 860, to see if I could get a power PC ThinkPad, but seeing what they end up for, I have better chances of getting a Power Laptop EWS.
When you save a search, you can name it too, I had about 5 specific ThinkPads I was searching for and my highest willing price for an as is machine. So I would save 'T43p Max $70', '755 max $40', '600X 700MHz max $150' etc.

People who find ThinkPads to sell sometimes don't know how to title it correctly, they'll put in the MTM number on bottom instead of the actual model. Most times they put in the 4 digits, but others have put in 7, which is great to spec out the device.

A few sellers are catching onto the ThinkPad market. Thanks to a few high bids on rare models, some sellers are thinking their 'vintage' iSeries or 'rare' R40 are worth half of what a 'TransNote or 'fully working 701c, because they too also have old, rare or vintage in the name, so of course since all ThinkPads look the same, they are all rare, vintage and old!
However don't let that deter you! People simply sell 'IBM ThinkPad', and just show photos of the lid, keyboard/screen and bottom from their storage. I got a working 701C for $90 this way

Lastly, where to start?
I'd say get a recent IDE machine, like a T4x to get started on ThinkPads. You could do old school gaming great on these devices if they have dGPUs, and linux is supported on these devices, you just might need to forcePAE on them.
Models I've collected that I liked for great typing experiences are 755, 770, 600 and T2x series.
Collecting ThinkPads can get expensive, initially I spent $130 to get my A31p working, but after a few years and wanting upgrades/expansion, the current bill is at $350. I'm sure this is just a fraction to other TP Fellows.

DSTN displays don't seem to age well, so if a laptop has a brightness and a contrast slider, it is typically DSTN. Although the experience with a standard TFT is better, I do like my DSTN ThinkPads.
An HDD bay will come in handy when it comes to cloning/imaging HDDs, because some of these drives are ticking timebombs.

For the record - and I should've updated this sooner - I have bought an IBM ThinkPad T42 from a forum member here. Features the Intel Pentium M "Dothan" and 512MB of RAM running Windows 7 Pro. I intend on upgrading it to the maximum 2GB.

I guess I'm going down the road of "anything will do" from the IBM-era (pre-2005.) Others are very specific about the models they want, but I feel that just leads to disappointment when you can't find one in satisfactory condition or they're too expensive/rare.

While a nice machine, I do plan on getting an older (pre-2002 or so) IBM ThinkPad (like a 7xx machine, etc). I would really love to own an IBM PS/2 but time, space, and money will not allow that.

I don't understand how some people can hoard these computers... you must be in the right place at the right time. Here in Mid-Missouri vintage computers are few and far in between, and even then they're usually in poor condition.

For the record - and I should've updated this sooner - I have bought an IBM ThinkPad T42 from a forum member here. Features the Intel Pentium M "Dothan" and 512MB of RAM running Windows 7 Pro. I intend on upgrading it to the maximum 2GB.

I guess I'm going down the road of "anything will do" from the IBM-era (pre-2005.) Others are very specific about the models they want, but I feel that just leads to disappointment when you can't find one in satisfactory condition or they're too expensive/rare.

While a nice machine, I do plan on getting an older (pre-2002 or so) IBM ThinkPad (like a 7xx machine, etc). I would really love to own an IBM PS/2 but time, space, and money will not allow that.

I don't understand how some people can hoard these computers... you must be in the right place at the right time. Here in Mid-Missouri vintage computers are few and far in between, and even then they're usually in poor condition.

Well I do also have a T22 if all you want is to satisfy your pre-2002 condition. I trash-picked it from a high school a year ago (along with T23 and A30) for free all bruised up and rubber peeling off on the lid and the lid doesn't shut in unless you push the screen inward. But then later from the same high school I found a discarded lid assembly for T2x all in perfect condition and dropped that in as a result. Now the lid shuts better if I remembered correctly and all the bruises on the lid are gone. Now it is really the hinge cover that has the paint peeling off.
I think I might as well just sell it to a caring forum member than me leaving it over there collecting dust. Very high specs for the computer (512mb RAM, 900mhz CPU), just I have no use with it and have way too many ThinkPads to keep track of.
Btw I don't know if I reminded you, but I think one of the keys of collecting computers like this is to collect the things that you really want instead of hitting buy button on every single ThinkPad, otherwise your wallet will complain to you some time later

I guess the question you should answer first - what is the point/goal of your collection?

Most of the Thinkpads in my "collection" I did not specifically collect; they were at one point my primary laptops (I typically have one primary work laptop + one primary personal laptop). When given the ability to choose, I did sometimes pick specific models that had features I was looking for. And sometimes I got them used, but while they were still strong enough to serve as primary machines. The only systems I specifically got as "collectibles" when they were way past their useful life are the A31p and X32.

Btw I don't know if I reminded you, but I think one of the keys of collecting computers like this is to collect the things that you really want instead of hitting buy button on every single ThinkPad, otherwise your wallet will complain to you some time later

I understand that. I wanted a later IBM-era ThinkPad that would still be usable for many things (like light web browsing, etc.) I'd like to get a pre-2002 ThinkPad just to have one - and to re-experience Windows 98 or XP.

I guess you could say there a lot of computers that I want. An IBM PS/2, an IBM PC (XT or AT), the Gateway 2000 486(?) I had as a kid, and a compact Macintosh have been on my list for quite some time. While those computers are out there (especially the compact Macs), they can be a little expensive and my living space right now does not permit me to acquire any more desktops. The PS/2 - especially the ones with the MCA/Microchannel bus - are difficult to expand, and most original IBM PC/PC-XT/PC-AT specimens are going for crazy money.

I may also end up expanding my ThinkPad collection in a couple years with a new ThinkPad. I dread doing that due as I love the keyboard on my T420, and I'm not the biggest fan of chiclet-style keyboards (although they're bearable. I use them all the time at work.)

As a side note on a post that is already a tangent: surprisingly, many pages display correctly with few errors on IE 8 running on the T42. The machine itself runs smooth for only having 512MB of RAM and running Windows 7.